Student For/Of Life

Hi! My name is Dylan and I’m addicted to school. Ok not really, but I did recently graduate from my third post-secondary institution. Apart from gaining two degrees and an advanced diploma, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge along the way.

Johnston Hall – University of Guelph

I attended the University of Guelph, where I completed my B.Sc in Human Kinetics. There, I learned about the human body and had the opportunity to study in the cadaver lab, giving me a real-life glimpse of the human body and the ability to actually SEE what the muscles are doing during movement. I also learned that I LOVED physics. Imagine my surprise when I found out biomechanics was a thing and it was essentially physics for the human body!! I also wanted to give back to the community, so I became a volunteer exercise assistant at a health centre, where I assisted with exercises for older adults. Moreover, during my last year at Guelph, I did a fourth-year project where I researched fall prevention and older adults. My volunteering and my project fueled my passion for research and hands-on learning even more.

After my four years in Guelph, I wanted to research some more into the world of biomechanics. The next stop on my educational journey was completing my M. Sc at the University of Ottawa. My research was focused on looking at older adults and how they adjust to sit-to-stands at varying levels of fatigue. But I learned so much more than that. During my time at U of O, I learned perseverance, accountability and initiative. I preserved from writing through all the different edits of my thesis, I was held accountable for my research when it was not going as planned, and I took initiative to reach out and contact those who could help me. I may have gained a degree from that school, but more importantly, I grew as a person there. And I discovered, post-graduate degrees were not for me. To my family’s relief, I was not planning on doing my PhD- Thanks to all my family and friends that I made walk up 7 plus flights of stairs to make my thesis happen!

Apart from completing my Masters, I believed it was a good idea to become a Registered Kinesiologist (R. Kin.) as well. So, I spent one winter studying for the registration exam, reading endless textbooks and memorizing the attachment points of muscles – Again! I became a R. Kin. in the summer of 2015 and was lucky enough to have found a job working as one! In that role, I was able to use my research in a practical setting. I was able to help people pre and post orthopaedic surgery, help patients manage pain, and help decrease arthritic flare-ups, all through the power of movement and exercise! Helping these patients, just through exercise, made me want to do more and that’s when I went back to school, for the third time, to become a Registered Massage Therapist.

I have recently graduated from Algonquin College in the Massage therapy program, and the things I learned there were amazing. Apart from learning how to massage, I learned time management skills and the importance of maintaining boundaries. I learned that college was a different kind of hard. Almost like a fun challenge that made you also want to pull all your hair out. Maybe most importantly, I learned that I was going down the correct career path and I’m ecstatic on how well massage compliments my skills as a kinesiologist.

So, what does this all mean? Whole Therapy is lucky to have gained a (soon-to-be) RMT and a Registered Kinesiologist, who has years of experience in the fields of movement and exercise. Not only will my RMT touch help to ease pain and increase range of motion of a joint, but my R. Kin. eyes will be able to look at your movements as a human being and come close to pin pointing what needs to be worked on.

My name is Dylan, and I’m a life-long learner and a two-for-one therapist.

At Whole Therapy, we believe that two heads are better than one. Our team works together to help people: It’s simple.
Because one therapy is not always the one for everyone. We know that every body is different, and everyone has different goals, preferences, and timelines when it comes to their health and their bodies.